This Project Manager is located within the Infrastructure Asset Management Project Portfolio Management (TIP) organization, which executes and delivers BPAs high visibility Transmission Capital Projects Portfolio. The assignment leads and facilitates project management support for large, high-complexity High Voltage (HV) system upgrade and modernization projects (typically $25M+ in capital investment) through the entire project life cycle from inception, formal federal stage-gate approvals, and engineering through commissioning and closeout. The Project Manager coordinates, tracks, monitors and reports on all activities for assigned capital programs and projects to assist federal leadership in ensuring project objectives are accomplished strictly within approved scope, schedule, baseline funding parameters, and established quality standards in accordance with the BPA Project Management (PM) Playbook and industry best practices. Project portfolios under this role span multi-discipline, highly technical initiatives, including: High Voltage Substation Projects: Major yard expansions, 115 kV500 kV equipment additions/replacements, power circuit breakers, transformers, protective relaying and controls, metering, remedial action schemes (RAS), and substation automation.Transmission Line Infrastructure: 115 kV to 500 kV transmission line rebuilds, new corridor construction, reconductoring, priority steel/wood pole replacements, access road development, and complex right-of-way/land acquisitions. Telecommunications & Operational Systems: Microwave and fiber-optic communication systems, telecom towers, control buildings, emergency generation, DC battery systems, and SCADA/energy management integration. Environmental & Regulatory Compliance: Comprehensive planning, critical path alignment, and schedule integration for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, cultural/tribal consultations, and regulatory permits. This assignment exercises senior-level leadership and advanced stakeholder facilitation, driving active cross-functional alignment and collaboration across BPA organizations, including Transmission Engineering & Design, Construction, System Operations, Asset Planning, Environmental Planning, Real Estate, and Customer Service, as well as external utilities, customers, and regulatory bodies, serving in an advisory, coordinating and non-decisional capacity.Responsibilities Include:
- Facilitate BPAs End-to-End Capital Project Portfolio Execution Method:
- Coordinate and provide project management support for assigned high-voltage substation and transmission line capital projects ($25M+ and high-complexity portfolios) from inception through closeout in strict alignment with the TIP Project Management Playbook, Process Classification Framework [PCF], and PMI standards.
- Provide expert guidance and advisory support on project management methodologies, stage-gate governance, best practices, and internal team skill development.
- Cultivate and maintain collaborative working relationships with external utility interconnection customers, regional transmission partners, and interagency stakeholders vital to project delivery.
- Actively navigate high-level project strategy, cross-organizational workflows, and process improvements across Transmission Engineering (TE), Transmission Field Services (TF), System Operations (TO), Strategy & Planning (TIS/TPW), Supply Chain (NS), Environment Compliance (EC), Pollution Prevention (EP), Cultural Resources (EH), and Infrastructure Asset Management (TI).
- Project Initiation & Front-End Project Setup:
- Review Portfolio Execution (TIPE) work intake notifications; review initial Project Detail Page (PDP) setup and Project bundle creation.
- Track funding authorizations for Work Orders (WO) in the project bundle and draft recommended work order modifications for federal review and approval.
- Partner with the Project Engineer (PE) to evaluate and support validation of the Scoping Path Determination (SPD) at Stage Gate 1 (SG1).
- Develop a recommended project schedule and facilitate the SG1 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Meeting with the project team, schedulers, and resource managers to establish tasks, durations, dependencies, and initial resource profiles through the Design phase.
- Identify and recommend procurement strategies for Long Lead Time Materials (LLTM) (e.g., power transformers, high-voltage breakers, reactors); integrate vendor lead times into the project schedule; update CDD/SAALSA tracking and In-Service Dates (ISDs).
- Scoping Phase & Project Management Plan Development:
- Schedule and conduct project Scoping Kick-off meetings; establish and distribute meeting minutes and action item logs.
- Author, maintain, and iteratively refine the comprehensive Project Management Plan (PMP) throughout the project life cycle for federal approval, ensuring full incorporation of:
- Scope definition & deliverables
- Project team & stakeholder matrices
- Project Communication Plan
- Facilities Plan & Environmental Plan
- Baseline project budget & financial forecast
- Risk Management Plan & risk registers
- Procurement & Contracting Plans (BPA-furnished vs. contractor-acquired property)
- Real Property Services Plan & Land Rights Required Dates (LRRD)
- System Operations (TO) & outage strategies
- Establish the proposed Scoping Baseline schedule within 7 days of scoping kickoff, validate alignment between the Microsoft Project (MSP) schedule and financial forecast, and coordinate the baseline financial snapshot in collaboration with the assigned Business Analyst. Support Program Management in evaluating the Capital or Expense Determination for federal authorization.
- Partner with Program Management to support the Stage Gate 3 Project Review and prepare documentation/justification to support BPA portfolio governance approvals (PfMT, TAMEC, ACPRT, or Finance Committee).
- Design Phase & Project Execution Planning:
- Facilitate the SG3 WBS Meeting necessary to build and refine the project schedule through Construction and Closeout.
- Provide coordination, schedule integration, and suggestions to improve RFP documentation for design contract requisitions; participate in site bid tours and proposal reviews with the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) and Supply Chain.
- Conduct the formal Design Kick-off Meeting; draft and track baseline Design tasks and project milestones in MSP, triggering required financial snapshots.
- Align project schedules to awarded contract milestones and administer established change-control protocols.
- Monitor design submittals and technical reviews via ProjectWise, Procore, and BPA Submit; track and coordinate multidisciplinary touchpoints across Design, Real Property, Environmental, and Access Road teams.
- Monitor technical designs for any deviations from the initial authorized capital project work to evaluate impacts to scope, schedule, and initial budget. Provide recommendations to BPA Manager regarding incorporation of additional project scope into the overall project.
- Initiate the Commissioning & Testing (TET) Step Plan Review Request; lead and facilitate cross-functional reviews of the project Step Plan with Construction, Testing & Energization (T&E), and the BPA Outage Office; ensure approved step plans are maintained on the Project Site.
- Engage the TENR organization with any projects that contain Remedial Action Scheme (RAS) components and require WECC Coordination or Local Integration Testing (LIT).
- Environmental, Cultural, Tribal, & Real Property Governance:
- Engage Real Property Services early in Scoping and Design; coordinate the Land Rights Required Date (LRRD); review the Land Rights Review Analysis; track acquisition dependencies and easement schedules.
- Coordinate with Vegetation Management & Forestry (TFBV) and Geomatics to identify clearance impacts or request clearing rights.
- Partner with Environmental Planning to identify NEPA requirements (Categorical Exclusions, EAS, or EIS), monitor compliance milestones, and track construction-phase environmental mitigation (SWPPP, spill prevention, erosion control).
- Coordinate with the Cultural Resource Lead to assist in establishing Areas of Potential Effects (APE) and support compliance with National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 and ARPA.
- Collaborate with BPA Tribal Affairs to provide logistical and technical support for government-to-government consultation meetings and support tribal relations.
- Monitoring, Controlling, Risk, & Financial Oversight:
- Conduct recurring project team meetings; prepare agendas, drive accountability on action items, and upload all records and minutes to the Project Site.
- Formally track and report on project Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), milestone variances, critical path slippage, and Ready for Intended Use (RIU) / In-Service Dates (ISD).
- Promote risk management processes across the project life cycle: maintain and administer the TIP Risk Register (SharePoint), assess probability/impact, develop contingency plan recommendations, and track risk mitigation strategies. This includes identifying emerging risks that could potentially include equipment delivery issues, potential outage issues, or environmental mitigation requirements.
- Provide financial tracking and oversight support:
- Review monthly project actuals, accruals, invoices, and work order charges for accuracy and provide findings to federal leadership.
- Align monthly expenditure forecasts with scheduled milestone progress in TPF.
- Prepare, justify, and route draft Incremental Increase / Business Case Reauthorization requests in collaboration with a Business Analyst for federal approval when scope changes or cost adjustments are required.
- Prepare and submit quarterly Executive Summaries for bundles exceeding $10M in value.
- Project Post-Construction, Commissioning, & Closeout (PCF 3.5):
- Track receipt of all formal Energization Memos from Testing & Energization (TET) for every applicable asset prior to initiating closeout.
- Communicate Construction Finish, Ready for Intended Use (RIU), and In-Service Date (ISD) milestone completions to Schedulers, Financial Analysts, TET, and Transmission Field Services.
- Ensure physical assets are placed in service within accounting guidelines (initiating depreciation and closing AFUDC) in compliance with BPA Policy 212-11.
- Coordinate with the Financial Analyst to track Due by Date (DBD) schedules for financial unitization.
- Review Work Order Completion Buy-Off workflow in conjunction with the Financial Analyst within the required 90-day closeout window; reconcile all P-card and material charges for federal approval.
- Support the CO/COR in contract close-out activities: track receipt of final invoices and confirm that all warranty letters and technical manuals are secured.
- Facilitate comprehensive project Lessons Learned Reports for presentation to the TIPS project team.
- Confirm all project artifacts, design calculations, and records comply with Information Governance & Lifecycle Management (IGLM) and INFOSEC standards; draft recommendations for project archival and site closure in Microsoft Project / Project Web App (PWA) for federal sign-off.
Qualifications
- Masters Degree is preferred.
- Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Management, Organizational Development, Computer Science or a closely related field is required.
- With Bachelors Degree in applicable fields, 10 years of direct work experience is required.
- With a Bachelors Degree not in applicable fields, 12 years of direct work experience is required.
- Without a Bachelors degree: 14 years of experience is required.
- Experience must include direct work experience in an engineering project management capacity, including all aspects of process development and execution.
- Experience of demonstrated project management experience, including all aspects of process development and execution that are closely related to some or all the following (High Voltage Substation, Telecommunication system or high voltage transmission line systems) is required.
- Experience with managing high voltage Substation upgrades/expansions, high voltage equipment installation, Civil site development, concrete foundations, steel structures, control/telecommunication communications/relays in accordance with industry project management principles.
- Experience with development of project schedule timelines, to reflect major tasks (Planning, design, procurement, construction, testing etc.) as required to complete a project.
Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Vancouver, WA. Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $69.00 - $74.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:
Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Vancouver, WA. Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Nov 19, 2026. Workplace TypeThis is a hybrid position in Vancouver,WA.About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
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